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Smoking appears to affect the ability to hear both low and high frequency sounds

These results provide strong evidence to support that smoking is a causal factor for hearing loss

Dr Huanhuan Hu

Lead scientist Dr Huanhuan Hu, from the National Centre for Global Health and Medicine in Japan, said: "With a large sample size, long follow-up period, and objective assessment of hearing loss, our study provides strong evidence that smoking is an independent risk factor of hearing loss.

"These results provide strong evidence to support that smoking is a causal factor for hearing loss and emphasise the need for tobacco control to prevent or delay the development of hearing loss."

Smoking appeared to affect the ability to hear both high and low frequency sounds, but the association with high frequency loss was greater, said the scientists.

The findings appear in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

London Underground in the 70s/80s

Sun, February 5, 2017

Photographer Bob Mazzer captured intimate scenes from the London Underground throughout the 1970s and 1980s.